


Alive

by preciouslittlecinnamonbuns



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-09-03 00:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8690293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/preciouslittlecinnamonbuns/pseuds/preciouslittlecinnamonbuns
Summary: She started to walk, she didn’t know where to, and honestly she didn’t care. Steve was alive, her Steve was alive and she didn’t know what to do. Her mind kept playing back her last memory with Steve, one that she was ashamed of and would regret for the rest of her days. And she couldn’t help but cry...





	1. The Library

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it's kinda short, there will be more!

The day started out like any other for Y/N. She got up, got dressed, made herself some tea to go, and headed to the local library. The sun had barely risen in New York, yet the city was already alive. Y/N walked towards the grand doors of the library, a smile on her face as she entered one of her favorite places in the city. So much knowledge was held behind the doors, just waiting to be absorbed. As she walked toward her favorite nook, book in hand, she glanced down at one of the long tables that ran the length of the room. A newspaper caught her attention and she paused, her body frozen in shock. The front page of the newspaper read “ Captain America Alive!”. Y/N’s book dropped to the floor with a loud thud, raising the heads of a few people in the room. She grabbed the paper and started reading, expecting this to be some kind of hoax. But after reading that it was an official brief from S.H.I.E.L.D., she quickly folded up the paper, stuffed it in her bag, and ran out of the building.

As she burst through the door, out into the daylight, the whole world seemed different. She couldn’t figure out why everything was glistening until she realized that she had tears streaming from her eyes. A mixture of years of pent up grief and pure euphoria struck at her heart, competing for attention. She started to walk, she didn’t know where to, and honestly she didn’t care. Steve was alive, her Steve was alive and she didn’t know what to do. Her mind kept playing back her last memory with Steve, one that she was ashamed of and would regret for the rest of her days. And she couldn’t help but cry...

* * *

 

_March 1941_

_“ Why is this so important to you? Do you want to get yourself killed Steve!?!” Y/N yelled. Steve backed up, tears in his eyes as he loosely held the acceptance slip in his hand. “ Because I want to make a difference Y/N. I’m tired of people not taking me seriously because I’m small, or because I get sick. I can do this! And I figured of all the people I know Y/N, you would be the one to understand that.” Steve said in a shaky voice. Tears were now streaming down Y/N’s face as Steve walked slowly towards her. As he reached out to hug her, she flinched away, a sob escaping her lips. “Just go Steve, if it means so much to you. I’ve lost both of you... Buck didn’t have a choice, but you did. Why couldn’t you just stay here with me.” Steve looked at her with hurt in his eyes. She had hurt him deep, yet Y/N took one last look at her best friend, and walked out the door of His and Bucky’s apartment, not know that was the last time she would see him alive._

* * *

 

“Excuse me miss, are you alright?” A voice gently says as a hand is placed on Y/N’s shoulder. A shuddering breath leaves her lips as she opens up her eyes to see an old man standing over her looking worried. She didn’t realize she had walked all the way to Central Park and had curled herself up under a tree her eye glazed over as she stared at nothing. Her mind was fuzzy and her body was weak from crying. “ Y-yes, th-thank you sir.” she managed to whisper out. “Are you sure?” He asks. “Can I call you a cab?”

Realizing it was near dusk, she accepted and waited with him until her cab arrived. She turned and hugged the old man, thanking him before getting in the cab. The sobs had stopped, leaving her feeling dead inside. Her mind trying to figure out what to do next. The cab stopped in front of her apartment, she payed and thanked the driver, and stepped out onto the curb. She looked up at the old building, the only one of it’s kind left on the block. It hadn’t changed since the day she had walked out it’s doors, leaving Steve behind. Today it felt different, it felt warm again, instead of the cold reminder of Steve and Bucky’s deaths that she had tortured herself with for the last 70 years.


	2. The Bridge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! Graphic depictions of suicide.

Y/N sat in her apartment staring out the window, deep in thought. How was she going to handle this? How will she make contact. And honestly, should she? There is no doubt that Steve would recognize her, but how was she going to explain that she was pushing 97 and still looked like she was 23? She would have to out herself, and after so many years of hiding her “difference”, she wasn’t sure if she could. But this was Steve, her Steve, who she walked away from in his greatest time of need. Who she walked away from before discovering her “gift”. Could she even face him after everything that happened?

* * *

 

_ July 4th 1946 _

 

**_One year after Steve and Bucky died…_ **

 

_ She couldn’t do it anymore. Living with the pain and guilt of not saying goodbye to Steve before he left was too much for Y/N to bear. After Steve became Captain America, Y/N was too ashamed to talk to him after what she had done. She had written him dozens of letters apologizing, but never sent them, feeling they were not right. But, after Bucky died, she finally sent a letter to Steve. She lost the one love of her life without telling him, and she wasn’t going to risk losing Steve before he knew how much she missed him and loved him. That he would always be his best friend.  _

 

_ But, as fate would have it, her letter arrived the day Steve perished into the ice, and he never opened it. _

 

_ Now here she was, standing on a bridge, looking over the deep, dark water below. No one was was out this early in the morning, So no one could stop her. She had nothing to live for now. Her only family after her parents died, were gone, lost to the war that had cost this country so much. She held a photo of Steve, Bucky and her, at Coney Island before Bucky had left for war, in her hand. She studied it, tracing her finger over bucky’s face as tears ran down her cheeks. She had given this picture too all three of them, so that no matter where each of them were, they would always be together. Today would have been Steve’s birthday, the day that the three of them would go out and Y/N and Bucky would have bought Steve the best meal they could afford, with the money they had been saving all year.  _

 

_ A slight sob escaped her lips as she kissed the photograph before tucking it close to her heart and stepping of the bridge, eyes closed. As her body hit the water, the sharp cold water pushed the air from her body and she let the water take her, breathing in the cold black death.  _

 

_ She felt herself fade, her heart slowly beat it's last note and then nothing… Blackness… And she was gone. _

 

_ That’s when it happened, what others would call a miracle, she called a curse for a long time. _

 

_ Her body restarted. _

 

_ First it was a little fire of a synapse in her brain. Then another and another, until the message was sent to her heart to beat. Faint and week her heart started again,one or two beats a minute, but the beat was there. Stronger and faster it beat until the need for oxygen was so much that her lungs pushed out the water. Her eyes shot open and she choked and gasped for air, water pouring from her mouth, her chest burning from the water and the lack of air. She laid on the beach for what seemed like hours. She was cold, confused, and scared. It wasn’t until the sun began to rise, that she pulled herself up and started walking back home. It took her a few hours to get home because of the state she was in. Part hysteria, part hypothermia, and part adrenaline.  _

 

_ When she finally got home she pulled the key out from under the mat and entered the home that she never thought she would see again. After Steve and Bucky died, she moved into their apartment so she could feel like she was with them again.  _

 

_ She walked into Bucky’s room, stripped off her wet cloths and found some old shirt of his and put it on. She climbed into his bed and felt at peace. Even though a year had past since his death, his scent still filled the sheets, and she felt whole again, even if it was only for a moment. _

* * *

 

Everything had changed that day. She tried to take her life a few more times after the bridge. First with pills, but when that didn't work, she went to a knife. When she came back and watched her knife wounds heal in front of her eyes. She was cursed to live, when all she wanted was to die.

 

She kept out of sight after that. She had used her inheritance to buy the entire building that the apartment was in a few years after “the bridge” and hid away in her own world. She couldn’t let the memories be taken from her, so she had made sure the building would never be torn down.  

 

After a few years of adjusting to her new life, Y/N decided that she would go back to school. If she couldn’t die, then she would live. She would learn and help people in any way she could.

 

Little did she know, that the best of her abilities had yet to show itself, and that someday she would call her “curse” a gift.


	3. The River

Y/N knew that she could not stay in the same place forever, so after a few years of living in the apartment, she packed up her belonging, made sure the place was secure, and moved across the city. She kept doing this every 5 years or so, that way no one would catch on that she didn’t age. After 20 years of moving, she moved back to the apartment and started the cycle again. She did this up until 3 years ago, when she moved back to the apartment again. Through all the years, she would sneak back and clean the place, making sure there was no dust, and that no one had broken in.

 

Until she had moved back this last time, she had been all over the US and parts of the world. 70 years is a lot of time for soul searching, and she knew if she was to live, she was going to see the distant lands that she and Steve had dreamed of visiting. They would stay up late some nights, looking at National Geographic, and making a list of places they would go.

 

After Steve was gone, she made it her goal to go every place on that list. And everywhere she went, she carried that photo of the three of them in her pocket.It was also during her traveling, that she discovered the “gift” that had been given to her.

* * *

 

_October 13th 1993_

 

_Nepal_

 

_The trail was steep, but Y/N kept going, she knew that she was close to the next village, so she didn’t want to stop and make shelter for the night yet. It was getting cold, ice was starting to form on the edges of the river she was walking next to. As the trail  leveled out she could see the village in the distance. She stopped to take a quick break before walking the last few miles. As she sat there and her breath and heart slowed, she closed her eyes, her hand placed on her breast pocket where the picture lay. She sat there, taking in the smell of the air and the sounds of the birds, and the water running down the mountain._

 

_Y/N was pulled from her trance when she heard screaming and wailing in the distance. She started running towards the voices, her senses tingling as the cold air bit at her cheeks. As she came around the bend of the hill she saw a group of men dragging something out of the river, and a woman on the bank screaming and crying. As she got closer, she realized that the men were carrying a young girl, maybe 8 years old from the water._

 

_Her heart  twisted and ached for the woman, who she assumed was the mother. When she reached the beach, she told the men she knew first aid, and asked what happened. They told her that the girl had been playing on the rocks, slipped and hit her head, and fell into the icy water._

 

_Y/N pressed her first two fingers to the girl's neck, checking for a pulse, but found none. She took action and began CPR, praying that she could save the girl. Adrenaline was pumping through her body as she worked to save the child. Emotions flooded her senses as tears streamed from her face. The girl’s mother was crying and talking incoherently in a language Y/N didn’t know. The men were trying to console her and calm her down, but to no avail._

 

_As all of these emotions collided, Y/N began to feel a warmth in her chest that radiated down her arms, into her hands. She felt part of her energy transfer to the girl’s body, and suddenly the girl was coughing and spitting up water. Y/N turned her onto her side and rubbed her back as the water came up from her lungs. After the young girl started to stabilize, Y/N check the back of her head for the injury from when she hit the rock. She found blood, but there was no wound anywhere. Even though she was confused, she was still concentrating. She ran to her backpack and grabbed her thermal emergency blanket, wrapped the girl in it, and instructed the men to carry her home._

 

_As she turned to go back to her pack, the girl’s mother ran up to Y/N and fell to her knees, kissing Y/N hands and speaking in her native tongue. One of the men translated for her, telling Y/N that she was beyond grateful to her and begged for her to stay the night with them. She did not have much to give but a warm bed and food, but wanted to repay Y/N for saving her daughter._

 

_Y/N agreed and followed the group to the village. That night, she wrote in her journal about everything that had happened, down to the very last detail of how she was feeling during the event. She began to wonder if she had healed the girl, since there was a lack of a wound, but the presence of blood. She needed to test this, but since she already healed, she could not test this on herself. But how?_

 

_The next day in the village, everyone was abuzz with talk of what had happened the day before. Everyone came up to her and touched her in some way, from holding hands to hugs. She spend the day talking to the locals who knew English and learning about their culture. As the day drew to a close she walked back to the girl’s house. As she neared the house, she saw a little boy on the ground, crying. He had fallen and scraped his knee on the rocks. Y/N kneeled down and looked at his knee. He looked up at her with tearful eyes, and she comforted him, saying she wasn’t going to hurt him. She looked down at his bloody knee and placed her hand over it, thinking about the warm feeling she had felt before. She concentrated hard, but didn’t feel the energy in her chest._

 

_She began thinking about how she had felt when the young girl was dying. About the emotions that had consumed her body. As she began to relive the feelings, she felt the warmth grow and radiate out of her hand. When she pulled her hand away, the blood was still there, but there was no sign of a wound. She picked up the boy and dusted him off,  pointed to his knee and then put her finger to her lips. He nodded his head, bowed to her, and ran off home._

 

_Y/N’s heart was racing with excitement. Not only could she heal herself, she could heal others too. She now knew her true purpose in life, and she was not going to let it go to waste._

* * *

 

From that day on, Y/N began to heal as many people as she could without being noticed. She started volunteering at hospitals. She would read to sick children and visit with patients who were lonely during the day. She would hold their hands and heal them, one at a time. Once she felt like she might be discovered, she would move to the next hospital, and the next. For years she did this, but this didn’t go unnoticed, and after a while she had made her way onto a S.H.I.E.L.D. watchlist as a possible enhanced individual.

  
She was approached by an agent named Coulson and was interviewed. After he had deemed that she was not a threat, she was asked to join S.H.I.E.L.D. But she turned him down because she wanted to keep healing people.  She said that she would gladly help them if they ever needed it, and donated some of her blood for their research. To her surprise, he let her go, no questions asked. She knew that he would be keeping tabs on her, but finally she knew she was not alone in her abilities. There were other people like her out there, and maybe the were doing some good too.


	4. The Photograph

It had been one week since the world found out that Captain America was alive.  Y/N had been trying to figure out what to do. She had barely slept, her brain refusing to shut off. She had thought about contacting Agent Coulson and seeing if she could get to Steve that way, but decided that they were all probably too busy to care. This had to be a big deal for them, and it just didn't feel like the right time. She would just have to bide her time and let the world settle down a bit.

 

She started going about her days again, checking the news on her phone every morning to see if there was any news on him. But they never had anything new to tell, so she just kept living her life, hoping one day an opportunity would arrive. She would visit hospitals and usually talk about the news and things they missed while in bed. Many of the patients were just buzzing about Steve Rogers being alive. She would just smile and listen to them excitedly talking about it. Most people had learned about Captain America in school, so it was no surprise that people were excited. But none of the people had her full attention until she visited Daniel.

 

Daniel was a sweet old man who she decided to visit with in a senior care facility one day when she was doing her rounds. They became instant friends and she started visiting him frequently. She would heal his aches and pains, and listen to his stories of when he was a younger man.  What he didn’t know was that both of them were roughly the same age, but to any passerby, one might think she was his granddaughter. Two weeks after the news, she went to visit Daniel. She had been visiting him for almost two years now, since his family had pretty much abandoned him at the home. She would bring him gifts and videos from her travels, telling him the tales of her adventures, then she would ask him about his past. How he had met his wife, where he grew up, etc… But the one thing he would never talk about was the war. All she knew is that he had been drafted around the same time as Bucky, but he would never go into detail. She respected this and never pushed him.

 

This day was different, when she knocked on his door and he let her in, the sight she saw before her left her in awe. There were newspaper clippings all over the kitchen table, along with piles of photo albums. Boxes were open all across the floor, with many of his belongings strewn here and there.

 

Y/N turned to him with a puzzled look on her face. Daniel grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the kitchen table and shuffled around a pile of papers. Y/N reached out and picked up one of the clippings. It was about Captain America, but it was from 1944, when he had saved 600 men from Nazis. She picked up more clippings, each about Steve during the war. She looked up when a hand was placed on her shoulder. Daniel had a satisfied smile on his face as he handed her a photo.  

 

This photo was old, frayed around the edges, with crinkles and creases throughout. It was the typical photo you would see of a group of soldiers, all line up in rows. In the middle of the group of men was Steve, clad in his Captain America uniform, surrounded by a group of smiling men. Some had casts on various limbs, many were thin, but they were happy.

 

“What is this picture?” Y/N asked, looking at Daniel, who had sat himself down next to her. “This was taken a few days after The Captain had saved us. Those of us able to move around were asked if we wanted to be in a photo for the papers.” He said, pausing to look at the picture. “That’s me.” He pointed to a handsome young man, standing two men to the left of Steve. “ I will never forget that day. He was such a gracious man, so full of life and compassion. He spent the whole day talking to all of us.”

 

“Since our last visit, the newspapers have been saying that he is alive. Seeing his photo in the paper helped me remember all of this. I’ve been going through old boxes, looking for everything I had kept on him after he saved us. I had kept every newspaper article I could find about him.” Daniel reached out his trembling hand and grabbed an old clipping off the table. It was from a paper the day after he had “died”. “The world is a crazy place ain’t it kid?” Daniel said, not taking his eyes off the piece of paper in his hand.

 

Y/N spent the rest of the day talking to Daniel, and helping him clean up his apartment. As the day went on, she kept questioning herself, asking herself if she should tell him. Would he even believe her? And if she did, would she lose him as a friend?

 

As they were sitting outside in the garden, Daniel broke the silence. “Y/N, you seem distracted today, is everything alright?” She sighed, “No Daniel, not really…” She looked at him, taking a deep breath. “ I have something I need to show you, something I have never shown anyone before.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the photograph. After handing it to him she waited for him to say something. Daniel had taken the photo and was studying it, looking at her and the looking down at the photo a couple of times.

 

“Is this your grandma?” he pointed to Y/N in the photo. Y/N just shook her head no. “Your great-grandma?” he questioned. Again she shook her head no. Reaching out her hand and gently putting her hand on his, she said, “ Daniel, that is me in the picture.”

 

He stared at her before chuckling. This surprised her and she wrinkled her brow in response. “ I was wondering when you were going to tell me who you were.” he said, squeezing her hand.

 

“What do you mean?” She asked cautiously.

 

“Well, I always knew there was something strange about you my dear. I could not place it for a long time, but I knew that every time I saw you I always felt better. I couldn’t explain it. There was something about you that made me feel better, not just my emotions, but my body. I always thought you had an old soul, you could understand things, things about the past that most people today would question. I couldn’t figure you out until one day when you were making tea and toast.

 

You were slicing the bread and had cut your hand open. You thought that I did not see what happened, but I did. I watched you wash the blood off your hand with no cut underneath. That was when I realized you could heal yourself. As I thought about it more, I  had this thought that maybe you could heal me too. Am I right?” Daniel asked, staring at her, waiting for a response. With a shaky voice she spoke, “Yes. You are right about all of it.” Y/N started to feel a lump in her throat and looked down at her lap. “ I understand if you want me to leave.”

 

“Why would I want you to do that?” he asked. “Because I lied to you?” Y/N asked back.

 

“You didn’t lied to me Y/N.” Daniel said with a smile. “You just didn’t tell me the whole truth.” This was when Y/N broke down and started to cry. Daniel just wrapped her in a hug and they stayed like that for a few minutes. Y/N started to tell him her story, about being best friends with Steve and Bucky, the “bridge”, and about how she discovered her gift. After she got it all out, he looked at her, amazement in his eye. “Now that is a story.” he chuckled. They sat in silence for a while, the world looking different for both of them.

 

“Does he know?” Daniel asks, cutting the silence. “No, not yet.” Y/N said, looking over at him. “Well, you better get on that.” he said with a wink. Y/N chuckled, “Yeah, I guess I do.”

 

As the day came to a close, Y/N and Daniel walked back to his apartment. “Thank you.” Daniel said as they reached his door. “ Thank you?” Y/N asked. “Yes, Thank you, Y/N. Thank you for caring for an old man like me. And thank you for opening up to me. I cannot begin to imagine what your life has been like all these years. But I look forward to hearing more in our next visit. I’ll see you around kid.” he said.  At this, he looked at her and laughed, “ I guess I can’t really call you that anymore can I?” As they both start laughing, and Daniel and Y/N hugged goodnight, he softly said in her ear, “Follow what your heart tells you, and don’t be afraid.”. As they broke apart she nodded to him, kissed him on the cheek and quietly said, “Thank you.”.

  
The weeks went by, and she tried to contact Coulson, but there was no answer. She started to think maybe she would have to go to the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to find him. As she was packing her bag to go to Washington, Y/N heard knocking on her front door. When she looked through her peephole, she thought her heart was going to stop.


	5. The Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holiday's Everyone! I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Y/N’s body was frozen in shock. The one thing she never expected had just happened, Steve was standing on her doorstep. She quietly stepped back from the peephole, her hand on the doorknob. Should she just open the door? Should she pretend she isn’t home? Would it be right to just open the door and be like “ Hi, how’s it going? Oh yeah, I’m alive and haven’t aged a day.”. 

 

Steve’s voice broke her train of thought through the door. “ Hello? Is there anyone here?” He asked. “ I used to live here and I just had some questions about the building if that’s okay.” Y/N could hear the hope in his voice. “Ummmm, Just a moment please.”. She said in a hurry. Talking quietly to herself, she looked in her hall mirror at herself. “ He’s going to recognize me, there is no hiding it, I just need to open that door and greet him.” She paused, her hand trembling just above the door nob. “ God, I am such a fool.” She unlocked the door and opened it to a sight she had dreamed about since the news had come out. Steve turned his head when the door opened and instantly began to talk, just like he used to do when he was nervous. “ Hi, sorry to bother you, I was just wondering if you…” He stopped when he made eye contact with Y/N. “Hello Steve...”, was all she could manage to say before she burst into tears. 

 

Steve just stood there in shock, one of his best friends since childhood was standing in front of him, crying. She should have been in her 90s or dead at this point, yet she looked the same age as she did when he left her. After the initial shock wore off, his instincts kicked in. He took a step back and in a clear and stern voice addressed her. “ Who are you? Is this some kind of trick?” His eyes showed confusion and hope as he waited for her to answer. 

Y/N choked back her tears and took a deep breath before talking. “It’s me, Steve. It’s Y/N… I know it is a lot to take in, and it is a long story, but it is really me.” He just stared at her, really taking the sight of her in. “How is this possible?” He asked. “Why don’t you come in, I’ll make us some coffee and I will tell you everything.”, Y/N said, taking a step out of the doorway and holding her hand out, toward her living room. Steve paused for a moment, trying to decided if this was a trap or not, but his heart got the best of him. When he walked through the door, he was amazed to see that the apartment had not changed since the day he left. All of his and Bucky’s belongings hadn’t moved, and everything was dusted and cleaned. 

 

He turned when Y/N began to talk. “ I couldn’t bring myself to pack anything away, there were too many memories. And to be honest, sometimes it made me feel like you two were still here…” she trailed off, staring at the floor, a tear creeping down her face. She turned and filled the coffee pot on her counter and turned it on. When she turned back towards Steve, he was standing right behind her. She jumped a little and looked up at him. He just stood there for a second before  he threw his arms around her, embracing her in a big hug. They stayed like this for a few minutes, her head on his chest, listening to his nervous heartbeat pounding, before they pulled apart and went to sit on her couch.

 

“Steve, I am so sorry. I’m sorry that I just left that day and that I didn’t say goodbye. I never wanted to hurt you, I was just hurting so much that I took out my pain on you and it wasn’t fair, and I…” Steve cut off Y/N with a wave of his hand. “Y/N, there is no need to apologize, that is in the past now, it doesn’t matter anymore.  I am just amazed you are alive. How is this possible?”

 

Y/N began to explain everything to Steve, everything that had happened after he had “died”, up until today. She told him about trying to take her life and he held her as the pain resurfaced for the first time in many years. It broke his heart to hear her talk about wanting to die, but Steve barely talked, he only listened and held her hand. 

 

She couldn’t tell through all her emotions, but he was filled with excitement, his heart racing just at the sight of her, his best friend alive in front of him. He had lost so much, and having her here made him feel slightly at peace with his situation. They talked for hours, and he learned so much about what he had missed. But, in her story he learned of something he didn’t know had happened when they were young. As Y/N talked of the past, she finally told Steve how she had felt about Bucky. They had been friends for such a long time, but she had never let on that she was in love with Buck. “ I had no idea that you felt that way Y/N.” Steve said, squeezing her hand. 

 

“Yeah, I never had to nerve to tell him, and when I finally did, it was too late…” she looked out through the window. “It broke my heart every time I saw him with another girl, but I was so afraid that it would ruin our friendship, that I just bottled it up. That is my biggest regret in life, and sure since then, I’ve had flings here and there, but I have never loved anyone but him.” She looked back at Steve, pausing to take in the sight before her. 

 

“You know, that last time I saw you, you were this goofy, skinny, kid. Now look at you,  you have changed so much, but I can tell you are still my Steve in here,” she said, touching his head, “ and here.” bringing her hand down to touch his heart. ”I’ve missed you so much.” she said, her voice cracking. “I’ve missed you too Y/N. I still just can’t believe any of this is real.” He said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what to do anymore. Everything is so different now, I don’t know what my purpose is at this point.” he said, looking up at her. 

 

“Over the years, the world has not forgotten about you Steve. Every child learned of Captain America in school, you are an inspiration even today. Yes the world is different, but I will help you find your purpose again. You don’t have to do this alone, like it or not, I won’t ever leave you again. We are in this together now.” They sat in silence for a while, drinking their coffee and looking out the window of their home. As it started to get dark, Y/N offered for Steve to stay the night, but he declined, saying he might get in trouble if he didn’t check in with S.H.I.E.L.D. 

 

He gave her his address and they made plans to get breakfast the next day. She walked him to the door and they hugged for a long time, neither wanted to say goodbye yet. “ I will see you tomorrow Y/N.” Steve said, breaking the embrace. “See you tomorrow Steve.” Y/N said as Steve walked down the stairs. She watched him until he was out of sight and finally closed her door. 

 

A renewed rush of excitement filled her chest and she cried warm happy tears. Tomorrow would be a new day for the both of them. 


	6. The Deli

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ALIVE!!! Haha, sorry I couldn't help myself. But seriously, sorry it took so long to write this.

Y/N woke up from one of the best nights off sleep she had gotten in a long time. As she woke up, excitement filled her chest. She jumped out of bed and quickly started getting read to go see Steve. She put a Michael Buble album on her phone as she tamed her wild bed head and put on some simple makeup. After throwing on her favorite blue sundress and sandals, she grabbed her purse, plugged in her headphones and walked out of her apartment, on her way to Steve’s place. She decided to walk, being as morning traffic would be awful. 

 

After a half an hour of walking, she spotted the building he was staying in. She could only assume it was a S.H.I.E.L.D building. As she got closer, she saw that there was a man wearing a hoodie standing by the front door, as he turned towards her, she saw it was Steve. She waved at him, and he waved back, crossing the street to meet her. 

“Hi Y/N, how are you?” Steve asked as he reached out to hug her. “ I’m good Steve, how are you?” she asked back. “I’m excited to hang out with my best friend.” he said with a grin on his face. “ Oh? Who’s that?” Y/N questioned, hiding a chuckle. “Just this cool cat I used to know about 90 years ago.”At this, they both broke out laughing, as Y/N started guiding Steve towards her favorite deli. “Steve, I think you are going to love this place.” Y/N said as she opened the door to 2nd Street Deli. They walked in, ordered their food, and found a booth in the back corner of the deli.

 

“I really love this place, it’s fun to people watch here.” Y/N said as they ate their food. They sat and ate in silence for a while, just watching the world go by together. After a while, Steve let out a big sigh, causing Y/N to look up at him. “Everything okay Steve?” she asked with a hint of worry in her voice. “Yeah Y/N, it is.” Steve said, not breaking eye contact with her. “After I came out of the ice, I have felt so alone, so disconnected from everything. But now I feel like I have an anchor to this new life. Having you here again has brought me some peace. Last night was the first night I have slept somewhat restfully since I woke up. I feel grounded all of a sudden, and I keep thinking this is a dream.” Tears start to well up in Y/N’s eyes as she moves over to his side of the booth and hugs him.  “I missed you so much Steve.” she says softly before letting go of him and moving back to her side of the booth. 

 

They sit together in that booth for the rest of the afternoon, drinking tea and eating different treats off the menu, talking about old memories and about Steve’s time in S.H.I.E.L.D’s care. Steve finally looks at his watch and sighs. “Y/N, may I walk you home?” Surprised, she lets out a small chuckle, “I was just about to ask you the same thing mister.” They both laugh a little and get up to pay. As they walk over to the register, Y/N slips out her wallet and hands $300 dollars to their waitress. ‘Keep the change.” She says with a wink to the waitress before walking out the door. Steve stumbles behind her, wallet in hand, and stares at her in shock. “I inherited a lot from my parents when they died. I don’t really have much use for it all, so I try to brighten people’s days.” 

she says, walking slightly in front of Steve, who is left speechless for a moment. 

 

They walk to Steve’s apartment in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other’s presence. As they walk up to the door, Steve grabs her by the shoulder and turns her, embracing her in a hug. “I haven’t been entirely truthful with you Y/N. I leave tonight on a mission, and I might not be back for a while.” All she can say is “Oh…” the tightness of disappointment spreading in her chest.

 

As Steve starts to pull away, she hugs him tightly. “Please come back this time.” He can hear the worry in her voice and pushes her back gently so he can see her face. “Don’t worry Y/N, I’m not going to leave you again.” he says, before leaning in and kissing the top of her head.

 

He lets go and walks towards the doorman/guard, who starts to open to door for him. He turns back to look at his best friend again, hope and happiness filling his heart. “Hey Punk!” she yells, “Stay outta trouble, you hear?” He smiles at her as the door closes and prays that he comes back.


End file.
